Printing-press gage.



E. L. MEGILL.

PRINTING PRESS GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED EEB. 5. 1915.

LUI'

.Il 1r v y y l 9 Lfw' l Figs IL" Fi g 7 g www0/.wao @WM 5w anto@ EDWARD L. MEGILL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.,

PRINTING-PRESS GAGE.

Leoiae.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 5, 1915. Serial No. 6,204.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it knownvthat I, EDWARD L. MEGILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New' York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Press Gages, o-f which the following is a'specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in what are commonly called feed gages for use on printing presses, and which are secured to the tympan-sheets on the platen of the press to serve as stops or rests, locating the position of the sheets to be printed, so that they may be properly presented to the type. I have in mind particularly the sort of gages in which there is one part that is inserted through a hole or slit in the tympan-sheet, and lies below this sheet, and another part connected to the first part, which overlies the tympan-sheet, the sheet being gripped between these two parts.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a gage 'of the kind referred to including a prong which is to beinserted through the tympan-sheet, with means for protecting the fingers of the operator from accidental puncture as may happen when pressure is exerted on the prong in the endeavor to bring the point up through the tympan-sheet after it has been placed below the sheet, and also to prevent the possibility of injury at all times due to the protrusion of the prong point. 4

Another object of the invention is to provide, in connection withgages which have a prong insertible under the tympan-sheet, means whereby the grip or hold of the device as a whole upon the tympan-sheet is strengthened. Still another object is to provide a gage of the sort referred to having a part intended to overlie the tympan-sheet and a part that extends beneath the tympan-sheet and protrudes through the sheet at twoV points, the part beneath the sheet and the part above the sheet being connected to,

gether in such a way that the tympan-sheet is effectually gripped between them, so that movement of the gage relatively to the sheet 1s minimized.

A further object is to provide a device h aving the ycharacteristics last-above mentioned, with means operative between that portion of the device which lies above the sheet and that portion which lies below the sheet, to vary the grip of said two parts upon the sheet.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less broad than those stated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be in part obvious and in part specifically referredV to in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will appear from the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely preferred forms of embodiment of the invention, Figure l is a top plan view illustrating a gage including my invention, as it appears in place upon a tympan-sheet, a fragment of the latter being shown; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line Qf-Q of Fig. l, looking in the direction of 4the arrows; Fig. 3 is a view similar toFig. l, illustrating a modified form of embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4L is a view similar to Fig. l, but with parts broken away, and showing certain of the parts in a slightly different relation from that which they bear in Fig. l; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of- Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a view' similar to Fig. l illustrating still another form of embodiment of the invention; Fig. 7 is a side View of the device shown in Fig. 6, showing also in dotted lines one of the positions of the prong 11; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. l showing another modification of my invention; and Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings and particularly to the forms of embodiment shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4L, 5, 6 and 7, I

Patented Oct. 17, 1.916.

have indicated at the tympan-sheet of a press, to which my improved gage is shown applied as in use. The gage comprises in each instance a prong part 11 having a pointed end 12 so that it may be readily `inserted through the tympan-sheet, making an aperture therein for itself. At its other end this prong part 11 is connected to, or integral with, the usual vertical head portion y14, and also connected to, or integral with,

this head portion 14 is an upper pressure member comprising two parallel lengths of material, one on each side of the prong portion 11. At their ends opposite to the head portion 14, these upper pressuremembers 15 f may be connected as my means of a-bridge 16, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, or they may be unconnected, as shownin Figs. 6 and 7. It will be understood that the prong member 11 is to be inserted into the tympansheet, moved forwardly a desired distance, and then tohave its pointed end 12 brought up through the sheet until it protrudes above the same, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5, for

Y described will be effective for the purpose intended, but in order to increase the gripping action between the prong member 11 and the upper pressure members 15, I provide a means operating between the prong member and said upper pressure members. In the embodiments shown, this vmeans takes the form of the ordinary tongue 18; this tongue 18 projects through an opening in the vertical wall of the head portion 14, and bears against the prong part 11. In order that this tongue 18 may cause a reaction between the prong part 11 and the upper pressure members 15, I have shown the tongue member 18 in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, as being provided with lateral offsets or wings 19, which are positioned under the respective upper pressure Vmembers ,15, and `which orf.- set portions 19 have upwardly turned ends 2Q bearing against the outer edges of the upper pressure members 15, and serving as` guides or stops. Likewise, the end of the tongue 18 between the offset portions 19 may be turned upwardly, so as to bear against the inner edges of the upper pressure members 15. It will be obvious from an inspection of Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 7 that as the tongue member 18is moved toward the left from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the

member 11. As shown in Fig. 1 this guard may be a simple flattened cap 24, pivoted to one of the upper pressure members 15 and adapted to move from the position shown in Fig. 4, to the position shown in Fig 1, in which latter position it covers the point 12 of the prong member 11. Aside from its function as a guard, the member 24 positively connects the prong member 11 and the `upper pressure members 15, at their rear ends. It has of course been familiar practice to have a prong member below the tympansheet and a pressure member or members above the sheet, but these have ordinarily y been connected at one end only. By providing for this connection at both ends, and importing into the assembly anindependent device (the tongue 18), for varying the gripping reaction between the prong member below the sheet and the pressure members above the sheetI am enabled to secure a better hold of the device, with certain desirable features of adjustability. Furthermore, the guard member 24, when the prong has been inserted far enough under the tympansheet, may be pressed down over or in front of the point to bring it up through the sheet, positively bending the point, in place of the old way of bending it up by the unprotected inger of the operator.

In Fig'. 3, I show a construction in which the adjustment of the tongue member 18 varies the gripping reaction between. the prong member 11 and the upper pressure members 15, but instead of providing thc tongue member with the offset portions as in Figs. 1 and 5, I make the tongue straight and provide offset portions 25 on the inner edges of the pressure members 15, whereby the tongue 18 is confined between the prossure members 15 and the prong member 11. The function is exactly the same.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a form of gage in which there is a part that lies below the tympan-sheet when in use, and also a part that lies above the tympan-sheet, the sheet being clamped between these two parts. rIhese two parts in this form of embodiment are in the form of plates, the lower plate being indicated by the numeral 2,7, and

the upper plate by the numeral 28. These two plates are connected to, or integral with,

the usual head portion 29, having a vertical.

together,

wall 30 and a horizontal projection 31,*and the tendency is for these two plates to move toward each other. The Y general form of this style of gage is familiar, but I have provided, by way of an addition orimprovement, means for clamping together the otherwise free ends'of the twov plates. Accordingly, I provide upon one of the plates, in

the present instance the lower plate, an eX- tension 32, and upon the other plate, vin the present instance the upper plate, a pivoted member 34. In use, afterfthe'lower plate has been inserted through an appropriate slit cut in the tympan-sheet, and pushed back to position, another slit is cut in the tympan-sheet, the same being indicated by the reference character 35, and thereupon the pivoted member 34 is moved to the full line position of Fig. 8, so that its free end passes through the slit 35 and under the eX- tension 32 of the lower plate. The result is to clamp the upper and lower plates firmly and incidentally to grip the tyinpan-sheet between them. It may be desirable that the pivot member 34 should have more play upon its pivot pin, so that the free end of the pivot member may pass through the slit 35 at a slight angle, in order that it may readily pass beneath the eXtension 32. rlhis might be provided for by making the pivot pin 3G a screw-threaded stud, and placing a thumb nut upon it above the pivoted member 34. With such a construction the thumb nut could be turned up sufficiently to permit of the necessary play of the pivoted member 34, and after the latter was brought into operative position, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 8, the thumb nut could be tightened downto hold it in position. The general effect is similar to that resulting fromY the use of the pivoted cap 24 in Figs. 1 and 4.

It will be understood that the various devices described are made of resilient metal, also that sizes and relations of parts are of no importance, except as set out in the claims. As indicating the resiliency characteristic of the prong member 11, I have shown in Fig. 7 an exaggeration of the positions of this prong member when the tongue 18 is at its eXtreme positions. The dotted line position of the prong member 11 corresponds to the Fig. 1 position of the tongue 18 when it is pushed as far as it will go toward the point 12, in which position the greatest clamping action takes place between the prong member 11 and the upper pressure members 15.

Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shallpbe interpreted as illustrative and not in av limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in vthefollowing claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the' invention which, as amatter Vof language, might be tioned over the tympan-sheet, and connected` to the first-named member, and movable means connected to one of said members and engaging with the side of the other member farthest removed from the first-named member.

3. In a device of the kind described, a prong member adapted for insertion beneath a tympan-sheet, an upper pressure member connected to the prong member and adapted to be positioned above the tympan-sheet, and a guard connected to the upper pressure member and adapted to cover the end of the prong member.

4. In a device of the kind described, a prong member adapted to be inserted beneath a tympan-sheet, upper pressure members connected to the prong member and adapted to be positioned above the tympan-sheet, and a sliding part movable to different positions between the prong member and the upper pressure members and having portions engaging both of said pressure members.

5. In a device of the kind described, a prong member adapted to be inserted beneath a tympan-sheet, and parallel upper pressure members connected to the prong member and adapted to overlie the tympansheet, said parallel members being connected together at each end.

6. In a device of the kind described, a prong member adapted to be inserted under a tympan-sheet, upper pressure members connected to the prong member and adapted to overlie the tympan-sheet, said parallel members having offset portions on their inner edges, and a member slidable between the prong member and said offset portions.

7. In a device ofthe kind described, a head member having a vertical wall provided with an opening, a prong member eX- tending from said head member and adapted to be inserted beneath e tympan-sheet, an upper pressure member extending romthe head member in the Selm@ direction the head member. i

, 83 Ine'devee 0f tleklldldeserbed, e pair 1o of. clampmg plates positively connected `15o-V epiee srl-this Patent may be Obtained fer gether at one end, .One of the plates having en iextension at the other end, and the other plate having a pivoted member adapted to engage under seid eXtenee11 In tetmony whereof I afxv my signature in presence of two Witnesses.,

EDWARD. L, MEGILL. Witnesses z MARY H. Lewis,

V, FrrzrATRleIeas the tive cents eaehg by addressing the Commissioner or Patents, Weshneten, 1?- CJ 

